Let\u2019s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links \u2026<\/p>\n
Adam Schefter shared best guess for Patriots, A.J. Brown trade cost \u2013 PatriotsWire<\/a> Advertisement<\/p>\n Eagles Film Review: Makai Lemon will hopefully be the player who forces the offense to become something better than it has been \u2013 BGN<\/a> NFL Draft grades for every team\u2019s full 2026 class \u2013 SB Nation<\/a> Eagles Notebook \u2013 Iggles Blitz<\/a> Jeff Stoutland says Eagles\u2019 struggles last year came down to not \u201ccalling the right plays\u201d \u2013 PFT<\/a> Advertisement<\/p>\n Roob\u2019s Observations: Why Jonathan Greenard makes more sense than Jaelan Phillips \u2013 NBCSP<\/a> Grading the Eagles\u2019 NFL Draft: Makai Lemon? Love it! \u2013 PHLY<\/a> 2026 NFL draft: Judging overreactions to picks, team classes \u2013 ESPN<\/a> Two favorite 2026 NFL Draft picks in every round: 3 reps for Eagles; 2 for Bucs, Steelers \u2013 NFL.com<\/a> Advertisement<\/p>\n Inside the NFL Draft: Ty Simpson pick explained, surging TEs and favorite strategies \u2013 The Athletic<\/a> The changing perception of the Micah Parsons trade \u2013 Blogging The Boys<\/a> Survey results: Commanders fans think GM Adam Peters has room to improve when it comes to the draft \u2013 Hogs Haven<\/a> How good was the Giants\u2019 2026 NFL Draft? Dane Brugler says it was this good \u2013 Big Blue View Advertisement<\/p>\n \u2026<\/p>\n Social Media Information:<\/p>\n BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page<\/a><\/p>\n BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen<\/a><\/p>\n BGN BlueSky: Follow @bleedgreennation.bsky.social<\/a><\/p>\n BGN Instagram: Follow @BleedingGreenInsta<\/a><\/p>\n BGN Manager: Follow Brandon Lee Gowton on Twitter<\/a> | BlueSky<\/a> | Threads<\/a><\/p>\n BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio<\/a><\/p>\n The Feed post of the day<\/p>\n Each day, we highlight a BGN community post here in this space. Head over to The Feed<\/a> to submit your entry and have a chance to be featured in The Linc!<\/p>\n
ESPN\u2019s Adam Schefter shared his best guess for what it might cost the New England Patriots<\/a> to acquire Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown in a trade. While most have been focused on the 2027 NFL Draft, Schefter wonders if the Patriots and Eagles would agree on a 2028 pick instead. He also believes it will be a future first-round draft pick. \u201cI expect that this trade will come together on June 1st,\u201d Schefter said on Monday, during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. \u201c\u2026It\u2019s not gonna be hard to get done. The Eagles are open to moving him, the Patriots want him, and I believe in the end it will involve a future first-round draft pick. My guess is 2028 \u2014 one in 2028. But, let\u2019s see what the two sides finally figure out there in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
What makes him particularly interesting as an Eagle is how precisely he addresses what this offense has been missing. Jalen Hurts<\/a> has historically been reluctant to work the middle of the field and doesn\u2019t throw a ton of short routes that give receivers opportunities to create yards after the catch (largely because of personnel issues and design issues). Lemon is at his absolute best in the middle of the field. The quick-game concepts, the condensed formations, and the pre-snap motion that creates space are what the Eagles\u2019 offense will need to run to get Lemon the targets he thrives on, and they are also the schematic evolution that offensive coordinator Sean Mannion\u2019s system naturally points toward. Lemon will hopefully be the player who forces the offense to become something better than it has been in recent years. You can\u2019t just line him up out wide and expect him to win like A.J. Brown could. That\u2019s not his game.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia Eagles. Best Pick: Makai Lemon, WR, USC \u2014 1st round, 20th overall. Unlike past drafts the Eagles did enter this draft with some questions. They had a core need at pass rusher and wide receiver, especially if the team is going to be trading A.J. Brown after June 1. Landing Makai Lemon was a gift courtesy of the Cowboys, who facilitated the trade to make it happen. The other big part of this class was making the trade for Jonathan Greenard<\/a> with the Vikings, giving the team the veteran pass rusher they needed. This was a great draft top to bottom. Grade: A<\/p>\n
Both players could end up getting contract extensions. But both are complicated. Jalen Carter<\/a> is one of the best DTs in the league so his will involve major money. That\u2019s never a simple thing. There is also the fact he had a bit of a down year, mainly due to a lingering shoulder issue. The spitting incident from the opener didn\u2019t help matters. That set a weird tone for his whole season. Still, he is a difference-maker. You want to keep those guys when they are young. Carter just turned 25 so he is just getting ready to enter the prime of his career. Smith played well in 2024 and really came alive in the playoffs. He also had an injury that limited him last season. The Eagles like Smith. They just don\u2019t know how good he is right now. I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll talk about getting something done, but the edge market was crazy this offseason. You can\u2019t overpay for Smith since there is still some uncertainty with him. Let\u2019s hope he stays healthy and has a good year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think any time things don\u2019t go well, and I don\u2019t want to sound like I\u2019m on an interview, but it\u2019s the truth \u2014 it\u2019s execution, it\u2019s calling the right play at the right time, and not running bad plays into bad defenses. I mean, it ain\u2019t that hard \u2014 that\u2019s pretty much it,\u201d Stoutland said. The Eagles fired offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo after the season, and while Stoutland didn\u2019t mention Patullo by name, it\u2019s impossible to hear those comments and not think Stoutland was frustrated with Patullo\u2019s play calling. As was much of the city of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d rather have Jonathan Greenard at $25 million per year than Jaelan Phillips at $30 million per year. Phillips is a couple years younger, but Greenard has been the more productive player. Let\u2019s look at their careers. Phillips has never had more than 8.0 sacks in a season, and his best two seasons were his first two. He\u2019s averaged 4.0 sacks per season, has missed a ton of games with injuries and has only played 10 games once over the last three seasons. Greenard has averaged 6 \u00bd sacks per season and over the last three years has more than twice as many sacks (27 \u00bd) as Phillips (12 \u00bd). If you want to break it down by sacks per snap, we can do that. Phillips has averaged a sack every 99 career snaps and Greenard is at one every 81. Greenard cost you two 3rd-round picks, but Phillips will bring back a 3rd-round comp pick. I thought Phillips played OK while he was here last year, but he was certainly nowhere close to a $30 million per year player. Greenard had a down year last year after back-to-back 12-sack seasons and still had more sacks in 12 games with the Vikings (3.0) than Phillips had in nine games with the Eagles (2.0). Their Pro Football Focus pass rush grades were similar \u2013 77.6 for Greenard, 76.2 for Phillips \u2013 and surprisingly Greenard had a much higher run defense grade \u2013 77.8 to 60.3. Greenard had 10 tackles for loss to just four for Phillips, more QB hits (12 to 7) and more hurries (12 to 9). The Eagles have the right guy.<\/p>\n
2 (54) \u2013 TE ELI STOWERS<\/a> \u2013 VANDERBILT \u2013 CHECK BACK IN TWO YEARS. I was certainly lower on Stowers than the consensus. Let me explain why. Can I see the upside here? Absolutely. He\u2019s an explosive athlete and a phenomenal kid. He hasn\u2019t played the position for long and there\u2019s reason to believe he can continue growing into it. That said, we have seen many cases of players with a similar type of profile enter the NFL and they oftentimes do not meet the expectation. My concern is that he\u2019s not a pass-first tight end, but that he would be \u2013 at best \u2013 a pass-ONLY tight end. That severely limits the usage and effectiveness of his role. If he\u2019s a faster Grant Calcaterra<\/a>, the same limitations that plagued him will continue to carry over. If Stowers can reach a Zach Ertz<\/a> level as a blocker, then I think this can work. My grade and projection show that I think the most likely outcome is that he does not. I hope he proves me wrong! It would not be the first time and would not be the last.<\/p>\n
The Eagles\u2019 two-year NFC East title streak will end in 2026. [\u2026] Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION. This point of this annual exercise, of course, is that the other teams in the division have reason to believe they got better, too. The Giants received a ton of praise for their Day 1 haul, which saw them land Ohio State edge rusher\/linebacker Arvell Reese and Miami<\/a> offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa in the top 10. They drafted Tennessee<\/a> cornerback Colton Hood in the second round and traded up for wide receiver Malachi Fields<\/a> in the third. With new coach John Harbaugh and hopes high for second-year QB Jaxson Dart<\/a>, the Giants could be in for a big leap in 2026. The Commanders<\/a>, who were Philly\u2019s opponent in the NFC Championship Game two seasons ago, hope to rebound from a down year with QB Jayden Daniels<\/a> now healthy and first-round linebacker Sonny Styles<\/a> on board to shore up the defense. And the Cowboys had their usual impressive, workmanlike draft, adding safety Caleb Downs<\/a> and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence in the first round and Michigan edge Jaishawn Barham<\/a> in the third in the hopes of finally fixing a defense that fell off a cliff last year. The Eagles might still be the favorites to repeat, but repeating is always hard in this division, and there are plenty of reasons for the other three teams to think they\u2019re closing the gap.<\/p>\n
MAKAI LEMON: The events leading up to this selection are the stuff of legend. It appeared the Steelers were all set to make a splashy pick to electrify the home crowd in Pittsburgh<\/a> on Thursday night, but then Eagles GM Howie Roseman did what he so often does, blowing up the competition\u2019s plans with an aggressive move to get his guy. As NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, Lemon was on the phone with the Steelers, who were ready to draft him 21st overall until Philadelphia traded with the Cowboys to move up three spots and land a slot menace who will eventually help replace A.J. Brown, leaving Pittsburgh at the altar. While the critiques of Lemon\u2019s game and demeanor throughout the draft process seemed to enter unfair territory at times, the bottom line is the guy produces. Jalen Hurts is going to love throwing to a player who has rightfully drawn comparisons to his fellow former Trojans wide receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Finally, on the Eagles trade for Vikings pass rusher Jonathan Greenard: Philadelphia has been active in monitoring the pass rusher market all offseason. It has also been overtly rebuilding its receivers room, most recently with a trade up in the first round for USC\u2019s Makai Lemon. He projects as an early contributor out of the slot. New offensive coordinator Sean Mannion may be drawing from both Rams and Green Bay Packers<\/a> influences in wanting multiple skill players who can sift across the middle of the field as volume targets plus contribute as blockers \u2014 in turn helping DeVonta Smith<\/a> draw less attention outside the seam. Because the Eagles didn\u2019t target a pass rusher in the first round and still needed immediate help, it made all the more sense to execute a trade for the veteran Greenard (who was essentially a cap casualty in Minnesota<\/a> and needed a new contract, which the Eagles gave him).<\/p>\n
When you look at the Parsons trade, all of the pieces are finally showing themselves. One player has turned into five for the Cowboys, just as Jerry said when the trade first happened. Financially, the cost of Parsons ($45 million) is essentially the same as the combined cost of both of the defensive tackles, Williams ($24 million) and Clark ($21 million). The team will take on an additional cost for extra rookies, but that will only amount to roughly $7.5 million annually for all three of them combined. We should also mention that there remains one caveat. As part of the Quinnen Williams<\/a> trade, the Cowboys gave up a 2026 second-round pick, and they still owe one of their two 2027 first-rounders to the New York Jets<\/a>. And it\u2019s the better of the two. So there are some missed opportunities that we will never really know about. If the Packers finish with a worse record than the Cowboys this upcoming season, the Jets will receive Green Bay<\/a>\u2019s pick, and the Cowboys keep their normal pick, and it\u2019s business as usual. If the Cowboys finish worse than the Packers, the Jets get the Cowboys\u2019 pick, and Dallas<\/a> will take Green Bay\u2019s pick, meaning they\u2019ll lose some additional draft capital this time next year. For all intents and purposes, the Parsons trade is then donezo.<\/p>\n
In general, the selection of Sonny Styles in the first round drew broad praise. In a similar vein to the selection of Jayden Daniels over Drake Maye<\/a> in 2024, the primary criticism of the Styles pick was that it wasn\u2019t the Caleb Downs pick. Yet, even those who preferred Downs seemed to feel that there was no \u2018wrong answer\u2019 in picking between the two. If anything, fans seemed to be more prepared to live with the GM\u2019s choice this year, whatever it turned out to be, than in 2024 when passionate fans seemed to have deeper feelings about the choice between Daniels and Maye. The next pick, that of wide receiver Antonio Williams<\/a>, was less universally welcomed. Fans expected a wide receiver to be drafted (position of need and good positional value) but the general expectation was that the team would aim for a bigger-bodied receiver rather than one like Williams, who has spent 80% of his career lined up in the slot. Commments from GM Adam Peters immediately after Williams was drafted indicate that he (AP) believes that Williams is capable of playing as a Z receiver.<\/p>\n
The New York Giants<\/a> got high marks for their 2026 NFL Draft in grades that were released on Sunday. Now, draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic has released his rankings of the 32 draft classes, and the work by GM Joe Schoen and head coach John Harbaugh earned high praise. Brugler has the Giants\u2019 draft haul ranked No. 2 in the league behind that of the Cleveland Browns<\/a>. Brugler writes: Favorite pick: Arvell Reese, edge, Ohio State There are multiple contenders for this spot \u2014 Francis Mauigoa, Colton Hood, Malachi Fields. But Reese was my No. 1 player in the entire class, and his addition will allow the Giants to mix up their pressure packages. Quarterbacks won\u2019t have fun facing this front seven.<\/p>\n